The invention relates to a safety steering column having a deforming element inserted between parts of the steering column extending between a steering wheel and steering gear in a vehicle for preventing injury to a driver of the vehicle in a frontal collision. The deforming element absorbs impact energy applied to the steering column to prevent the steering wheel part of the steering column from being displaced toward the driver by intercepting the thrust of the steering gear part of the steering column, and/or absorbs the impact energy of the driver upon the steering wheel by deformably yielding under load.
A steering column of this kind is disclosed in German Pat. No. 1,303,280 (63c, 47), in which the deforming element is a long corrugated tube. However, this known device is of complicated manufacture, and furthermore, inasmuch as the tube is fabricated of comparatively thin metal plate for resilience, producing durable welds between the flanged ends of the tubular deforming element and the respective correspondingly shaped ends of the adjoining steering column parts has proven to be difficult.
Another known device, shown in German Instrument of Disclosure No. 2,160,849 (63c, 47), utilizes a deforming element integrated with the steering column and consisting of depressions offset and on opposite sides of the steering column axis, such that at pertinent points the steering column has a flat, instead of round, cross-section. This structural arrangement both excludes use of a steering column consisting of solid material and, in addition, offers only a very limited possibility of energy dissipation through deformation in that, in the zones of the individual depressions, only very short deformation paths are available, though requiring comparatively large deformation forces.
It is therefore a principal purpose of invention to create a safety steering column having a deforming element which can be produced simply and inexpensively, and which can be securely connected with the adjoining steering column parts in a simple and conventional manner, while at the same time offering the advantages of a relatively large deformation path and adaptability to a desired deformation force.